Page 22 of Load Bearing
“Yeah, we helped build the new barn last year,” Keith added. “Trixie’s trying to convince us to go to Fairbanks to get a trade license, but odd jobs pay the bills.”
“Firefighting in the summer,” Kyle added.
“Except that it rained most of the summer,” Keith moaned.
“What do you do, Hunter?” Sam asked. “You’re definitely not a career carpenter.”
Hunter made a noise that hopefully passed for achuckle. “Not even. I’m up visiting my brother in Anchorage and he heard that Trixie needed a hand. I didn’t have a lot going on, and it sounded like a challenge.” That was exactly the story he’d contrived with Trixie, and he didn’t see a reason to deviate or elaborate.
“Doesn’t really answer the question,” Noah pointed out. “What do you do when you’re not moonlighting in Alaska?”
“Lay off,” Keith advised. “It’s clear he’s a dilettante.”
Everyone looked at Hunter to see if he’d take offense, and Hunter just shrugged. “I do odd jobs that sound fun.”
“He’s not stuck up like a billionaire,” Kyle said skeptically. “The privileged don’t get their hands dirty. I think he’s running from the law.”
“Nah,” Sam said. “He’s dodging a mad dad with a shotgun. He’s making Trixie blush and swoon, probably there’s astringof girls behind him.”
That made everyone laugh, including Hunter.
“You’re not the settling down type, though, are you?” Noah guessed. “Well, don’t go breaking Trixie’s heart until the job’s finished. The pay is too good.”
Hunter drained the last of his drink. “I wasn’t planning to break her heart,” he said gruffly.
“Oh, it’sserious, then,” Keith teased. “You’ve gotintentions?”
Hunter scowled at his ice cubes, not sure how the conversation had gotten so entirely out of his control. He was usually much better at investigations than this. “She’s my boss,” he said, trying to make it sound regretful. It wasn’t like that had stopped him yet.
“We’re just joshing you,” Noah said kindly. “Trixie is alright, and she looks at you like she wouldn’t mind you putting in some overtime.”
“I need another drink,” Hunter said desperately.
18
TRIXIE
Trixie was used to being alone. She had grown up off the grid and had entertained herself for her entire life. She didn’t need—and thought she didn’t want!—constant companionship.
But she found herself missing Hunter.
Not just for his gentle touches and electric kisses, but for hispresence. He didn’t say a lot, but Trixie was always confident he was listening to her, and he never left her feeling like she was dominating the conversion or letting it flag. He was interested in her. He respected her. Trixie could admit that she was flattered by the hot look in his eyes and found the attraction mutual, but she would have been happy to have him across the table from her talking about the day’s work.
The day’s success felt empty without someone to share it with.
After dinner, Trixie did a tour of the dark building, standing in the open doorways imagining the finished space.
It was going to be a beautiful house, whatever its checkeredorigins were. There were still ladders in the place of stairs, and Trixie climbed to the top floor and stood looking out. They hadn’t put down the decking for the porch yet, but she could sit with her legs dangling out of the space where glass doors would be, gazing at the purple twilight over the mountains. There might be northern lights that night, if she stayed up to see them. She loved that this location was far enough away from civilization that the sky wasn’t polluted with streetlights. Stars and planets were already starting to sparkle overhead.
She could hear the intermittent highway noise, and felt her heart leap in her chest as one of the vehicles turned off onto the gravel drive. A pale truck came into view and Trixie knew that it would be Hunter.
She didn’t want to look desperate, so she remained in place. To her surprise, Hunter seemed to know exactly where she was, not going to her trailer first. He climbed up and sat beside her without comment and it seemed perfectly natural to scoot up against him and drink in the warmth of him as he put an arm around her. It was chilly now that the sun was gone, and Trixie’s padded flannel wasn’t doing the job. She wished she’d put on a hat because her ears were starting to ache with the cold.
“I didn’t technically hire you back this morning,” she told him lightly. “Does that mean I don’t have to pay you for today?”
She felt his chuckle as much as she heard it. “Saves me the trouble of quitting now, I guess.”
As warm and nice as he was against her, Trixie sat up and drew back. “Hunter…”
